Our main link to Jewish history and tradition, Passover helps us share the memories and taste the freedom. We work to dispose of the negative Chametz and prepare to bring in the Matzah!

What is Chametz?
”Chametz” includes bread, cookies, pastries, macaroni, whiskey or liquor; and any wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt flour that had 18 minute contact with liquid before baking.

The prohibition of eating chametz on Passover is as severe as eating on Yom Kippur.

This prohibition includes minute chametz particles, or food processed in utensils that once processed chametz food. All processed food must be reliably certified Kosher for Passover.

It is also forbidden to own, or derive any non-eating benefit from chametz. All Chametz left in the house, store, car, etc. is legally transferred through a rabbinic agency to a gentile. We do not buy, sell, give a chametz gift, or use chametz pet food for dogs, birds, or fish. (If no Kosher for Passover alternative, the pet is transferred to non-Jewish ownership).

"Kitniyos"
Grains similar to wheat, i.e. rice, kasha, peas, lentils, beans, and corn, including corn starch, corn oil, peanuts, soy, etc. are not eaten. (Sephardic Jews may eat kitniyos.)

Cleaning House
We clean every room, closet, drawers etc in the house or office, to remove any cookies, cereal or crumbs. The car, including the trunk, is cleaned and vacuumed; seats are removed and cleaned, if possible. Year round books or benchers used at the table should be sold with the chametz

A clean room is dedicated to store Passover supplies. No Passover food is placed in the kitchen until it is kosherized for Passover. Dishes and cutlery are reserved exclusively for Passover. (Consult a rabbi which metal utensils can be kosherized for Passover).

The Kitchen
Kitchen surfaces and counters used year round are scrubbed and covered with aluminum foil, cardboard, or other covering.

The stove is thoroughly cleaned. Grates and parts that touch the pot should preferably be new for Passover. Cover the stovetop with heavy aluminum foil.

To bake on Passover, a tin box is inserted after the oven is thoroughly cleaned. Consult a Rabbi how to kosherize the oven if insert is not available.

The sink is cleaned and lined with a plastic or tin insert. Steel sinks (not ceramic) may be kosherized.

Clean the refrigerator and line with paper or foil, perforated to allow air circulation.

Closets, tables and chairs are scrubbed, and cabinet shelves are lined with paper or plastic. The baby highchair, crib, stroller and car seat must be cleaned well.

Fast of the First Born
The Jewish first-born were spared when the Tenth plague struck the Egyptian first-born. In gratitude, our first-born sons fast on Passover eve, Wed. April 12, but are exempt by hearing a Siyum concluding a Talmudic tractate, usually held in the synagogue.

Search and Burn Chametz
We do 'Bedikas chametz' Tuesday night (April 11) searching for chametz through the house (office & car) in all rooms, closets, shelves, behind furniture, etc.

The head of the house recites a blessing before searching by candle (use flashlight under beds etc.) with a feather, wood spoon and bag to collect all chametz found.

Ten wrapped pieces of bread are placed through the house before to be "found" during the search. (Tip: Keep a chametz hiding places list, in case you forget their location!)

After the search, we disown any overlooked chametz by saying “Kol Chamira” with its translation: "All leaven in my domain which I did not see or did not remove, or have no knowledge of, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth."

Burning the Chametz
All chametz found in the search, and all post-breakfast Chametz are burned late morning Wed., April 12), along with this Chametz annulment: "All manner of leaven that is in my possession which I have seen or have not seen, which I have removed or have not removed, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth."

The Chametz Deadline
Check your calendar for your area’s chametz deadlines. Chametz found during Passover must be burned immediately. If found on Yom Tov (1st, 2nd, 7th, or 8th day) or Shabbos, it is covered, and burned after Yom Tov or Shabbos.

The Sale of Chametz
We cannot own Chametz on Passover, so we sell all remaining chametz to a gentile through the rabbi.. The Chametz sale is legally binding: The buyer gives a deposit and the balance is a guaranteed loan. The buyer can later return it to the seller by mutual agreement.

Place all Chametz utensils in the designated room or closet(s) to be sold, and lock or seal it until after Passover.

Unsold Chametz
The prohibition against Chametz applies to all Chametz owned by any Jew during Passover. We therefore patronize only bakeries/groceries owned by Jews who sold their Chametz, or non-Jewish owned stores. Consult a Rabbi which supermarket chains we may buy Chametz from after Passover.

Laws of the Day Before Passover
After the Erev Pesach Chametz deadline, only kosher for Passover foods may be used. But we don’t eat matzah, wine, romaine lettuce, horseradish and endives which are reserved to eat for the first time at the Seder. Some also abstain from eating the charoses ingredients: apples, pears, and nuts before the Seder.

Matzah
Once the house is clean of all Chametz, we are ready to usher in Passover.

Matzah is a simple mixture of flour and water that did not rise, reminding us how Israel left Egypt in great hurry with no time for their dough to rise. Matzah helps us relive our flight from slavery to freedom.

Note: Not all Matzah is kosher for Passover. Read labels carefully. Consult a Rabbi regarding egg Matzah, permitted only in case of illness.

Shmura Matza
All Kosher for Passover Matzah is carefully watched during baking. Shmura Matzah is a specially made Matza, preferably hand baked, whose grains were supervised from the harvesting of the wheat.

The special Shmura Matzah is used at least for the first ounce of Matzah eaten at the Seder. A little over half of a round hand baked Shmura Matzah equals 1 ounce.

Some refrain from eating "Gebroks"- Matzah/Matzah meal mixed with liquid, to avoid any possibility of leavened dough. But everyone eats Gebroks on 'Achron Shel Pesach,’ the last day of Passover (Thursday April 20). This day’s Haftarah is about Moshiach; and a Seudat Moshiach meal raises our Redemption awareness.

Maror: Bitter Herbs
Romaine lettuce, endives, fresh horseradish, or a combination of these are eaten for the mitzvah of Bitter Herbs, recalling the Egyptian slavery.

(Minimum amount is 1 ounce; Romaine lettuce covering a 12x10 inch area).

Charoset
The Maror is dipped into the Charoses mixture of crushed nuts, wine, pears and apples symbolizing the mortar the Jews used to make bricks in Egyptian bondage.

The Seder Plate
The Seder Centerpiece has 3 matzos, covered by a plate or cloth on which the following are arranged:

In the upper right hand corner, a roasted shank or neck bone symbolizes the paschal offering, it is not eaten.

In the upper left corner, a hard boiled egg symbolizes the Festive offering. The egg is later dipped in salt-water and eaten at the start of the meal.

The Charoses is placed on the bottom left, the Karpas vegetable on the bottom right, with the Maror in the center. The romaine lettuce is placed at the bottom.

Some Seder Plates are elaborate works of china, silver, or embroidered cloth, but a napkin or cloth is fine. Children make Seder plates at Hebrew School as a project.

Reclining
We recline (to the left) in a relaxed feeling of freedom and royalty when drinking the Four Cups of Wine, eating the Matzah, the Korech, and the Afikoman (do not recline when eating the bitter herbs).

Four Cups
Each person drinks 4 cups of wine: First at Kiddush, the Second after reading the Haggadah, Third after Grace after meals, and the Fourth Cup concludes the Seder.

The cup should contain at least 3.5 ounces. Use grape juice if wine is difficult.

Korech: The Matzah & Maror Sandwich
We eat a Matzah and maror combination, as Hillel ate Matzah, maror and Paschal lamb together in the holy Temple. This sandwich consists of 1 ounce of bitter herbs placed within two pieces of matzah (1 ounce).

Afikoman
The Afikoman, the last Matzah before saying grace at meal’s end, is eaten by midnight of the first Seder. At the second Seder, it can be eaten past midnight.

Cup of Elijah / Opening the Door
Toward the Seder’s end, we open the door for Elijah. Recalling our Redemption from Egypt in the past, we also look forward to the future Redemption, exclaiming "Next Year In Jerusalem!"

Moshiach isn't just wishful thinking, but a Divine promise that a Redeemer will inspire all Jews and usher in universal peace to change the world for good.

Expanding the Haggadah
The original Haggadah is in Hebrew, but the story should be understood in plain English (or other language).

Suggestion: Rather than the Seder 'leader' monopolizing, assign Haggadah paragraphs to all participants. For variety, ask someone who knows a foreign language (Russian, French, Spanish, etc,) to read a paragraph aloud in their language.

Not the Last Word
Don't read the Haggadah merely by rote, but elaborate on it, for "it is praiseworthy to expand the story of the Exodus." Enhance your Seder with commentary, personal experience, thoughts and insights.

Food For Thought: Personal Chametz & Matzah
Chametz and Matzah represent the opposites of good and evil. Historically, the Matzah reminds us how the Jews left Egypt in a rush that their dough had no time to rise. There is also a moral dimension: Chametz and Matzah represent human characteristics. Arrogant and egotistic, Chametz puffs up, swelling bigger and bigger, while Matzah’s low profile suggests humility with no pretensions of appearing greater than it really is.

First Fast Food
Chametz and Matzah, the Passover opposites, are both made from flour and water. Timing makes all the difference: bread is left to rise, while Matzah is made in a rush.

A Matzah bakery hums with constant rush and movement of hands, rolling pins, perforators, shovels and dough, into the oven and out. Nothing stands still from the moment flour touches the water until the finished Matzah comes out of the oven.

What is time but fleeting moments, here today and gone tomorrow? Iintangible and abstract, time makes all the difference. Not only on Passover, but all the time.

Matzah and Mitzvah
This quick Matzah baking movement recalls the rush out of Egypt. The similar Hebrew spelling of Matzah and mitzvah relates the rush of baking Matzah to the observance of the mitzvah.

Just as we are quick with Matzah, we be prompt and energetic with all mitzvos. Abraham, our Patriarch, is praised for "rising early in the morning" to serve G-d. If we don't seize the moment, it may be lost when we finally get around to it. "Do not say when I will have time I will study, for you may not have the time." (Ethics of our Fathers 2)

Good timing enhances a mitzvah. Even if it finally gets done later, "a mitzvah is best at the right time" (Talmud). Procrastination shows lack of interest and appreciation. Although better late than never, the Mitzvah loses its taste, like a cup of hot tea standing around, soda that lost its fizz and gone flat, or dough after the 18 minute deadline that becomes Chametz.

Sometimes, it's best not to rush into things, but with a mitzvah let’s strike while the iron is hot. Why wait till next year, or for retirement, to learn Torah, go Kosher, or try Tefillin? The time is ...NOW.

Let's be Practical
The Seder observances are meant to help us recall the Exodus. So the question arises: why go through all the motions? Why not close our eyes and just meditate on the concept of freedom?

The Seder teaches us that we learn best by doing. Judaism always blends the spiritual with the physical, expressing lofty ideals in physical ways.

The Seder is rich in symbols that fill our senses; to see, taste, touch, and feel the concepts. The horseradish chokes us with bitterness, the Charoses looks and feels like mortar. Matzah allows us to digest, internalize freedom and absorb it into our system. Rather than just express freedom in flowery phrases, we drink four cups of wine. And we don't just reenact the past, for Elijah's centerpiece cup represents our Redemption in the future.

Good intentions may be vague and abstract; they become real and concrete in a physical mitzvah involving not only the mind, but also our body. Our Mitzvos combine thought and action that complement each other like body and soul.